kabarsula Spotlight on BDMs: How TTC’s Ki Williams is winning hearts, minds and bookings bandar SLOT INDONESIA

After winning TravelManagers’ Top Sales Executive award for the second consecutive year, TTC Tour Brands’ Ki Williams reveals how social media, authenticity and a distinctly Queensland warmth have helped her build relationships across the industry.

There was a moment of hushed anticipation at this year’s TravelManagers conference in Hobart as the crowd waited for the winner of one of the industry’s most coveted accolades: Sales Executive of the Year.

At a conference centred on relationships, it was arguably the award for a supplier representative to win.

The winner was a familiar face: TTC Tour Brands’ Ki Williams, who had taken home the same award just a year earlier in Bali. As Williams made her way to the stage, the crowd erupted in applause.

It is immediately apparent that Williams was exceptionally well liked. She has an unmistakable Queensland warmth, something she later jokes about during our interview, and an infectious enthusiasm.

What is less obvious to the casual observer is just how strategically Williams has embraced social media as a tool for building relationships and driving business.

While the travel industry has no shortage of content creators, relatively few have mastered the art of using social media specifically to support travel advisors and strengthen trade relationships.

Williams, strategic account manager at TTC Tour Brands, is one of them. Being visible is at the centre of her success, she explains.

“I would have to say, and it’s probably coming from a lot of their mouths, is just being heard and seen,” Williams tells Travel Weekly when asked about the secret to her success.

“A lot of advisors that live in Victoria or New South Wales think I live in their state, which I don’t. I live in Queensland.”

Cutting through the noise

Williams has developed a multi-channel approach to engaging with independent advisors, combining face-to-face meetings with Facebook groups, personalised videos, webinars and emails.

When she started her current role, she established a dedicated Facebook group for TTC Tour Brands’ independent advisors, allowing her to share incentives, product updates and practical marketing resources tailored to their businesses.

She has also been experimenting with short video messages embedded in emails.

“I’ve even been trialling where I record myself and embed it in the email, and it’s a quick one-minute video,” she says.

“That has been super popular at the moment because they’re sick of reading emails.”

On Facebook, meanwhile, she shares ready-made marketing assets that advisors can save directly to their phones and upload to their own social media channels.

It’s a small adjustment, but one that reflects her wider philosophy: make advisors’ lives easier.

“They’re doing the inquiries. They’re an accountant. They are social media. They are marketing,” she explains.

“Just how much they need to think in a day to make their business run.”

For Williams, the role of a great BDM extends well beyond selling products.

“How can you be an exceptional BDM? It’s about finding the shorter routes for them, making their life easier to help them grow business faster.”

Helping advisors grow

Williams’ social media expertise has also become an unexpected source of practical support for advisors.

She recalls sitting down with one advisor to demonstrate how to use Canva, helping her build confidence with social media and attract more followers.

Another advisor, whom Williams met for coffee to discuss social media, subsequently increased her bookings with TTC into double digits.

“Sometimes showing them that you care about their overall business helps them grow their bookings,” she says.

And her training isn’t confined to formal workshops.

During a recent trip to India, Williams found herself teaching advisors how to create Instagram Reels while travelling on a coach.

“I went around and showed people how to make a reel on the coach when we had our travel days,” she recalls.

She has also delivered advanced social media training at MTA’s pre-conference sessions, helping advisors understand how to create more engaging content.

“You don’t have to be a pro at it, and you don’t have to be perfection,” she says.

“If anything, being personable and rusty gets you more in social media these days.”

Relationships before transactions

Despite her digital approach, Williams is adamant that technology doesn’t replace face-to-face relationships.

Her role spans independent advisor networks across Australia and New Zealand, and she schedules in-person meetings around industry events and conferences.

“My biggest part of meeting with everyone is introducing myself, getting them to know who I am and what I do, and how can I support their business, not necessarily going in with a product update.”

It’s an approach shaped by a career that began in the Whitsundays, where Williams worked across multiple departments at Daydream Island, from food and beverage to reception, sales and events.

“My job was at the resort main bar, but I just wanted to learn everything about the resort,” she recalls.

That curiosity has remained with her throughout her career, as has a belief that good salespeople need to listen rather than make assumptions.

“It’s about being authentic, and you’re not going to get every sale, but it’s about being there for the next time as well.”

The Queensland factor

Of course, there is another part of Williams’ success that can’t be explained by algorithms or sales targets.

When asked where she gets her seemingly endless energy, her answer is simple.

“I just think we live a very short life, and you just don’t know what’s around the corner, and you just got to be happy, kind.”

She credits her country upbringing and Queensland roots for her friendly disposition, although she admits her habit of greeting strangers doesn’t always translate interstate.

“I do it in Sydney, and I definitely don’t get the same response back,” she laughs.

Perhaps that’s the secret behind Williams’ two consecutive TravelManagers awards. In an industry increasingly focused on digital engagement, she’s managed to use technology to achieve connection.